


-1+(+1)

by Anonymous



Category: TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, M/M, blue orangeade soty, commoner/shop owner!soobin, i did kinda proofread tho, lapslock, no beta we die like men, not a moa so this could be ooc, prince!yeonjun, royal gay guards!woosang, this went too far from my original idea but eh take it, txt roty but don't tell my main rookie fandom i said that, yeonbin best boys, yeonbin gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:41:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21907648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: like how the winter passes by, you make me bloomwhere the cold, heartless prince gets his heart melt down by a humble yet charming commoner
Relationships: Choi Soobin/Choi Yeonjun
Comments: 5
Kudos: 145
Collections: Anonymous





	-1+(+1)

**Author's Note:**

> this idea was haunting me after i jokingly watched one dream txt and it wouldn't let me live if i didn't write it. i got like 2,4k when the idea finally let me live peacefully, even if it was almost nothing like my initial idea LMAO, but also yeonbin had barely exchanged names and i felt bad to just threw it away, so i decided to continue it. so yeah, take this hopefully cute and enjoyable yeonbin au, dear moas~  
> in this fic yeonjun is often referred to as "sejajeoha" or just "seja" as he's the crown prince. [my main source was this soompi article](https://www.soompi.com/article/1148307wpp/your-palace-dictionary-20-must-know-sageuk-vocab-words), but I did look on other articles just to be completely sure it wasn't wrong. you can never fully trust anything on the internet! on that note, according to namuwiki (linking doesn't work for some reason, just google "namuwiki 형" and that's the page) and based off my poor korean understanding, back then, males of different ages already used the word hyung, but with the honorific nim. so "hyungnim" is also used here. could be wrong though  
> i didn't gift it to you directly this time but this is dedicated to 🌙 - if you're reading this i'm sure you know how you are

yeonjun raised a brow as he saw the commotion happening on the front gates of the castle. the royal guards were well trained and nothing really happened around his house, as it was quite far from the main city, so hearing them shout was very, very unusual. and, as much as he hated having his quiet interrupted, he’d be lying if he wasn’t curious about what was going on, and so he decided to investigate it himself.

“what is happening here?”, he asked in a loud tone once he was closer to the scene, hoping that he wouldn’t be left hanging.

“sejajeoha!”, the closest to himself spoke fast, turning to him and bowing. it made yeonjun grin internally at how much respect he got from the guard. the other didn’t do the same, but he did lower his head politely at the prince’s presence. after all, his hands were busy holding a stranger and it probably wasn’t smart to let them go simply to bow.

wait.

 _what_?

the one who was fully bowing returned to have his back straightened. he was the oldest of the two and also the head guard, so it was understandable that the other didn’t say a thing and instead waited silently. noticing where the prince’s attention was on, the guard proceeded to explain himself. “we’re sorry for the inconvenience, seja. this kid was trespassing but refused to let go peacefully, so we had to use a bit of force.”

“i told you, i’m _not_ trespassing.”

“quiet, you peasant!”, the other guard said, holding the other’s arms stronger until he hissed.

“wooyoung, that’s enough”, the prince said to the younger guard, staring at the one being held. he caught himself raising his brow once again, getting closer to them. or, well. to him, as he was a boy-- no, he was already a grown man, probably around his own age. maybe younger, as he had very round cheeks and soft features. still, he crossed his arms and refused to lower his guard. “you do look like you’re trespassing the castle, and i believe both my guards’ words. it’s mistrustful that you were not doing so, especially since you refused to leave when they told you to. you could be here to harm me, or anyone in my family.”

"do i look remotely harmful?", the other scoffed, which made wooyoung and yeosang stare at him offended. it annoyed yeonjun too - he’s the prince! _crown_ prince, the one who’ll soon be king! - but he had to admit the other had a point. his clothes were full of dirt, a few ripped fabric here and there. he seemed like a nice kid, except for the fact he was taller than both his guards. hell, he was taller than himself. yeonjun frowned at that. the other sighed before he started speaking again. “i’m just here looking for my dog, i _swear_. she came running in here and i followed her, and when i noticed where i was these two were already pointing their swords at me. not exactly peaceful if you ask me”, he said in between coughs, ignoring the way the two guards reacted. “i wouldn’t harm you, sejajeoha, nor anyone in the royal family. _really_.”

he stared at the commoner. despite it being a naive thought, and one that could endanger him and his family, he didn’t look like a threat at all. he looked more like a lost puppy who just wanted to go back home as soon as possible. and his story, although slightly humourous, seemed very plausible. the crown prince wasn’t exactly kind, he wasn’t raised like that. he was raised to be sceptical, for his own safety. he was going to be king one day, and obviously people would try to take his power from him, would try to dethrone him. he couldn’t trust people he didn’t know. he probably shouldn’t trust people he knew, either. so why should he side with this kid this time?

yet… no matter how much he tried to paint him as a bad person, he did sound sincere and he couldn’t imagine him lying.

“we can arrest him for the day if you want to, seja”, yeosang spoke after a while, breaking his line of thought. 

yeonjun sighed, not believing on his own words as he said them. “no, don’t arrest him. wooyoung, if there’s really nothing that could frame him as harmful, then let him go. and yeosang, accompany this fellow and try to find his dog. if he’s not lying then the creature mustn’t be too far.”

the two guards shared a look, not believing what they were hearing, but they still obliged. the kid quickly rubbed his wrists, both quite reddish. they were probably sore, too. the prince would maybe feel bad if he didn’t know the younger guard was just doing his job. maybe.

without another word, he turned around to return to his previous task. before he could get in though, he was taken aback as he heard the stranger speak again. “thank you, sejajeoha.”

yeonjun turned to stare at him, but after meeting his eyes - and dimples, _oh no_ he had visible dimples when he smiled - it was like he had been electrified and he just walked away faster than before.

it didn’t matter. it shouldn’t matter, he was just a random commoner who happened to accidentally trespass his house. that was very plausible to happen and he’d forget about it in a couple of days. he didn’t even know his name and it wasn’t like there was any reason for him to know the other’s name as he would never enter the castle again. 

yet, for some reason, days passed and he couldn’t stop thinking about the incident. 

_huh_.

* * *

yeonjun had not expected to see him again. had he thought about it? maybe. was he waiting for it to _actually_ happen? no, not really.

reasonably speaking, it wasn’t weird to meet him considering it had happened when he and his parents had paid a visit to their kingdom’s centre, where a festival was going on and most likely _everyone_ would be around the area. still, when he crossed eyes with the man with round cheeks and dimples, it was a surprise.

he had yet to discover if it was a good or bad one.

“hello, sejajeoha. odd seeing you in my humble shop”, the other was the one who broke the silence between them. despite the words used, his voice was soft, yeonjun noticed; it was undoubtedly the same voice from before, but that was a different scenario, and because of that, the crown prince failed to realize it before. but now that they were facing each other, in a calmer atmosphere, he couldn’t help but be aware of that. and even with his peculiar choice of words, he wasn’t saying them in a teasing way, nor on an offensive way. instead, he seemed surprised. honoured.

it inflated a bit of his ego, if he was completely honest.

“ah, well, the dance hadn’t started yet and it was boring to just sit down all day, so i asked my parents if i could walk around the shops.”

“are you not afraid of someone trying something against you?”, the other tilted his head. “you’re not inside your comfortable castle, and anyone could do anything and get away with it, in the crowd that will soon form in the streets.”

“you don’t have to worry about that, my head guard is not far”, he pointed with his head, where yeosang was quietly watching the two of them. “and he’s a quick fighter. if someone tries anything he’ll be here in a beat.”

the other visibly tensed as he nodded. “if you say so. then, sejajeoha, enlighten me. what brings you here?”

the prince blinked. “i’ve said before, haven’t i? i was bored.”

“yes, but”, it took him a while to continue, “ _my_ shop? out of all other shops you could go to?”

he blinked a bit at the question. “well, this shop doesn’t seem any lesser than others. besides, something caught my attention.”

the other opened his mouth to say something, but quickly closed it. instead, his reaction changed by the colour of his ears slowly becoming redder. it amused the prince.

“did you make these bracelets?”

yeonjun pretended to not notice the confusion from the commoner as he realized what the _something_ was. he cleared his throat before nodding. “yes, i make some handmade decorations all year long, like bags and hanging vases, but whenever the festival arrives i make these too.”

“they’re beautiful”, he thought out loud, eyes locked on them. he didn’t know if the other heard but he paid no mind to it. “how much are these?”

“wh- what?”

“the bracelets. how much are them?”

“uhm”, the other seemed conflicted, eyes wandering around the street. “two coins each, but, sejajeoha--”

“if you’re trying to give it to me for free, forget it”, the prince said as he opened his wallet. “i want three.”

“but sejajeoha, you shouldn’t--!”

“just accept it”, he said in a quiet voice, staring at the other’s eyes intensely. “there’s no reason for you not to charge me. prince or not, i’m still a customer.”

it seemed like he wanted to protest, but the other just nodded, proceeding to get the three bracelets yeonjun pointed to.

he handed the other his money, but once their palms touched he held it for a bit. “just one more thing.”

“y-- yes, sejajeoha?”

“can i know your name?”, he asked in a low voice, leaning in.

“…it’s choi soobin.”

without realizing, he started smiling at the other. _soobin_. what a pretty name, as pretty as its owner. and his surname was choi, too? what a coincidence. “nice to meet you, i’m choi yeonjun.”

his reply clearly made him get taken aback, blinking in confusion as he tried to process it. before he could open his mouth, though, the prince was gone, the package with the bracelets in hand.

“what was that about?”, yeosang, who was looking at the interaction, said as soon as yeonjun moved towards him. 

“nothing. here, there are two bracelets here. keep one, give the other to wooyoung”, he said as he gave the already opened package to the guard. “take it as your cue to finally confess.”

the other obtained a pinkish hue on his cheeks, but his face remained expressionless. “with all due respect, sejajeoha, but shut up.”

* * *

“and, so, you just handed him fifteen coins to him? for _this_?”, beomgyu, who was supposedly his best friend, questioned as soon as he finished telling the story. in all honesty, yeonjun was not planning on telling anyone about the bracelet that has been on his arm for days now, but when the younger asked him he just _couldn’t_ keep it to himself. “hyungnim, this is silly.”

“he probably needs it and it’s not any big of a thing for me. besides, i did love it”, he shrugged, staring at the item. beomgyu kind of had a point, it seemed simple, it was just a few coloured strings interlaced and tied at the ends. but for some reason, it was not _just_ that for the crown prince. he couldn’t explain why or how, it just… wasn’t. it wasn’t _that_ silly for him and his friend did not have a point by calling it as such. 

the prince sighed and it wasn’t left unnoticed by his noble friend. he moved to sit closer to the older, looking at his direction. “you seem attached.”

“hmm?”

“you seem attached. by the bracelet, or maybe by that dude. i don’t know.”

the other scoffed as he turned around. “i’m just curious. there’s something about him that seems so… pure. nice. it’s weird and it makes me want to know more.”

“yeah, and you’ve never been attached to anyone like that in a long while.”, beomgyu reasoned. “everyone bores you. you didn’t care about king hongjoong from the north kingdom, nor daehwi, the young prince from the south. you didn’t even smile at the newly crowned queen of the east, yeji. but now you’re thinking about a worker enough to buy his handmade bracelet and overtip it.”

“that… is not a bad thing.”

“i never said that, and it really isn’t. it’s actually very great! how long have i been your only friend?”

“you’re not my only friend”, yeonjun scoffed again as he pouted. “there’s kai too.”

“kai is your adviser.”

“and taehyun?”

“your tutour.”

“what about yeosang and wooyoung?”

the nobleman stared at him, not believing the discussion they were in. “hyungnim, they’re your guards. you’re just proving my point.”

“but i’m not as close to the other guards as i am them.”

“would you be friends with those two if they weren’t your guards? how would you ever meet _and_ befriend them if they weren’t your guards, to begin with?”, beomgyu rolled his eyes as he questioned. “admit it, your circle only has people who work for you. and me, of course.”

“fine, i’m a loner who has no friends. thanks, best friend.”

the younger jokingly showed the prince his tongue and it made yeonjun question why he was even friends with him in the first place. “hyungnim, you’re not a loner, you’re just always so stiff, with your guard never lowering, so no one wants to approach you. and you don’t make any effort to take any initiative as well. you’re extremely cold and very hard to open up and trust new people, which is understandable. but you’re soon-to-be king, you must be a bit social. and it’s even better if it’s around people _you’re_ comfortable with, and not just people who work for you or must interact with you for bureaucracy you must to dare with you liking or not.”

he sighed. he deep down disliked that the other had a point, but it was also comforting that his odd interest in soobin wasn’t that odd. at least, not to beomgyu.

“so what now?”

“what now, what?”, he questioned the prince.

“what do i do about it? i’m just going to stare at my arm and drown in my curiosity. it’s not like he’ll ever go back after the dog incident, and i can’t really go out much.”

“why not?”, his friend asked in a beat. “you’re the crown prince. this kingdom is going to be yours eventually. why can’t you wander around it?”

“because it’s dangerous? because it’s not the place for a prince? because there’s no reason for me to leave my safe castle?”, he repeated what he was told since really young. “here is comfortable and beautiful. it’s nice to visit the centre and the market and everything but not without a strong reason to, like the yearly festival.”

the younger one stared at the prince as if he couldn’t believe his words. “then you’re just seeing that soobin next year”, he shrugged as he got up, leaving yeonjun’s living room.

he wanted to complain about the remark, but didn’t find the courage to. beomgyu had, once again, a great point.

* * *

he’s seen him _twice_.

he’s seen him twice only, barely knew him and had no reason to feel like that, yet yeonjun was dying to see him again and get to know more of him.

it probably didn’t make sense, they were nothing alike and he didn’t know much about him that could make him that curious for more. he just knew he had a dog, did crafts and sold it for a living, and was named choi soobin. that was _literally_ it.

still, he couldn’t help it but wonder as he stared at his wrist.

it was so delicate, a few strings entangled in such careful yet perfect pattern, it must have taken a couple of hours to do only one of these. and he sold it for two coins only? that was too little. he should have tipped the other more. hell, he should have given him his entire wallet for such pretty art! bought the entire thing! make everyone in the castle wear it!

he sighed at the thought. there was no way he was going to see that man anymore, was there? he was a commoner while yeonjun was a prince. _the_ crown prince. their first meeting was an accident, a rare happening that had everything to not happen. if only the dog hadn’t run into his garden, or if he had decided to stay in his room, or if soobin had managed to get in without being spotted… there were many possibilities for the two of them to never meet that day, yet it happened.

and a second time happened as well. what were the odds? if he hadn’t wandered around the centre, or if soobin had opened his shop somewhere else, or if he had gone to another street instead… that would also not happen.

what was the possibility of them to meet a third time? almost zero. the closest to zero. or maybe zero itself.

his attention returned to the real world as he heard a bark. he has been walking around the forest for a bit, reasoning that if he was going to own these lands he should as well get familiarized with it. his guards didn’t seem to want to let him go alone at first, but surprisingly, they didn’t say a thing. he couldn’t believe that beomgyu’s dumb reasoning had worked. he couldn’t believe he was actually doing what the nobleman told him to even if he had told him he had no reason to, but yeonjun reasoned that he had been that curious, that restless, and even if there were _no_ chances of them meeting a third time, and in a place like this, he still ended up going out a bit.

he wasn’t too far from the castle, however, after hearing the sound, he reasoned it was enough walking for one day. with that in mind, the prince turned around and started walking the same path he had come from.

“girl, don’t goo too far!”, he heard a male voice shout and it made yeonjun freeze, recognizing it even from so far.

_no way._

he looked back at where the sounds came from and watched silently the shape of a tall man and a dog run around the forest. and, indeed, there was soobin running alongside a brownish dog, giggles leaving his mouth as she responded by a few quieter barks.

it made the royal man smile, but when he noticed, he forced his lips into a line. “so this is the infamous dog”, he said in a loud tone. after all, it wasn’t every day that yeonjun started a conversation, and especially to someone who wasn’t royalty or nobility, and he wouldn’t like to be ignored.

it did the job, and the young man who was previously laughing as he ran around stopped his steps, lips moving downwards as his eyes moved upwards. soobin stared at the prince with a neutral yet soft expression. “sejajeoha.”

“soobin”, he caught himself giving the other a small nod but seconds later he questioned himself that. why was he nodding to the other, if he was just an ordinary person and nothing more? but then beomgyu’s words about his attachment echoed in his mind and his cheeks got reddish. _am i really listening to beomgyu twice on the same day? no, i’m not!_ , yeonjun refuted himself, ignoring the buzzing in his ears. the prince returned his full attention on the other man, who didn’t seem to notice his brief inner discussion despite never looking away. “and this is…?”

it was then when soobin finally looked away from the crown prince, staring at the dog who kept running around, trying to either hunt something small on the grass or the tail that was shaking excitedly. yeonjun wasn’t sure. “i actually don’t know how to name her.”

“but… she _is_ your dog.”

the other’s expression somehow turned embarrassed. “yes, but also no. she belongs to the streets and has a couple of names that the other kids gave her. i just have never gotten into a consensus with myself as to how to call her.”

“and you don’t know how others call her?”, he tilted his head.

it took some while for the other to give him an answer, which started with his head shaking left and right. “i don’t really talk to them.”

oh. yeonjun blinked at that, taken aback at the confession. he hadn’t said it like that, but it was obvious that he meant he had no friends his age. or even… at all. how could that be it, when he was so nice, pretty and talented? he should have all the friends of the world! but instead, all he seemed to have was the companion by his side, the one that no longer was chasing her tail.

the prince looked at the dog. she had finally stopped to run and spin and was now staring back at him, tongue out and curious about the new person. he walked close to her, and surprisingly to him, she remained the same. yeonjun grinned. “then i shall name her cutest.”

the forest stayed silent after he said that, save for the wind and the trees, as the royal man petted the dog. however, after a couple of seconds, a loud sound hit his ears. it startled him at first, but after he recognized it he just stared at its owner.

it was soobin’s laugher. “you-- you just-- called her _cutest_ \-- as a name!”, he exclaimed, erupting into laughter once again. “sejajeoha, no offence, but have you never named anything in your life?”

the other had tears threatening to leave his eyes, and at the scene and words, yeonjun blushed. he didn’t know why cutest couldn’t be a name, she _was_ the cutest dog he’s ever seen! and belonged to a cute man too… it was a _perfect_ name! why was the commoner man laughing at him for that? “o-- of course i’ve named stuff before! just not… pets”, he cleared his throat, straightening his back and staring at the other with an expressionless look. “anyway, her name was given by the royal prince choi yeonjun himself. that’s an honour not many can have, and i hope you will keep it.”

even with the way the crown prince was acting, soobin was still smiling but was now way calmer than before. “of course, sejajeoha. i wouldn’t dare reject such royal present.”

yeonjun was ready to make a proudful remark, smirk at the other’s word and leave. however, as he smiled sweetly at him, he could only gulp down and hope he wasn’t red. has soobin always been this close or had me moved a few steps forward? and when did he do that? he was certain he was laughing at him a few steps away, but now, two steps would be enough to make their bodies collide. “uhm. that’s. good. very good. you better not change it.”

“i won’t, yeonjun-sejajeoha.”

“that’s very good--”, he frowned as the words sank in, staring at the other’s eyes. “you called by my name.”

soobin smiled even wider. “you called me by my name earlier too.”

“yes, but i’m… i’m the crown prince.”

“i did keep the honorific though, didn’t i?”, he tilted his head. “besides, you were the one who gave me your name, even if it was obvious i already knew it. did you not want me to call you by your name?”

well, he had a point. he had given it even when it wasn’t needed, but he felt like he should give something after soobin has told his own name without refuting. he gulped down. “that’s okay. do call me by that then, soobin.”

he blinked, and suddenly it was his turn to gulp and get shy. he was still smiling though, but it was way smaller than the previous one. yeonjun found it amusing, how the other’s confidence washed away so quickly. maybe he had gathered all he had into those bold sentences. 

seeing that soobin wasn’t sure what else to say, face red, the prince decided to open his mouth in his place. “i should get going, it’s getting dark. you should go home too, soobin, but”, he stepped forward, getting closer to the other’s face, “don’t restrain yourself from returning. i wouldn’t mind.”

leaving the commoner at lost of words once again, yeonjun turned away to return to the castle, but not before saying farewell to cutest.

* * *

“he’s the cutest”, yeonjun said out loud. he had spent the last few minutes monologuing about him, the one and only, choi soobin. he had tried not to, tried to keep it to himself only, but he somehow couldn’t. “i know i named the dog cutest but it’s because she’s the cutest dog. soobin, though? he’s the cutest _period_.”

“okay”, yeosang simply said quietly.

yeonjun gasped offended at that. “are you not listening to me? how cruel, i’m the crown prince!”

“don’t bother, if something is not interesting to yeosang’s ears he’ll block it no matter who you are”, wooyoung was the one who answered in the older’s place, laughing at the scene. “i’ve heard it all though, if that helps.”

“yes, it does”, the prince smiled. he really wanted to ramble to someone about this cute tall man with cute cheeks and many dimples who had a dog and was talented with crafting art. on normal days, he’d be telling all of this to _beomgyu_ , but the nobleman was tired of only listening and always had too much to opine on, so whenever he told him anything about soobin he’d use his words to tease him instead. therefore, beomgyu no longer was an option, and he needed someone else to listen to him. that was why he had joined the training room and started blurting out countless words at the duo. “thank you, wooyoung, i should have nominated you for head guard instead.”

yeosang rolled his eyes at that. he knew those were just for flattery, wooyoung was a great guard and a trustworthy friend, but he didn’t have the same skills at the other. his role was well earned.

“so, how was he?”

“how was he?”, yeonjun echoed the younger guard’s question, not really getting what he meant by it.

“yeah. you’ve been meeting him nearly every day for a while now, haven’t you? including earlier today? so you must know how he was.”

“well, i just said, he was being all cute and cheerful and--”

“no, not like that. i mean”, the guard cleared his throat. “how did he react afterwards? did he get more cheerful, did he cry, or just stare dumbfounded at you?”

“…i don’t follow.”

wooyoung tilted his head. “wait. have you not… told any of these _to him_?”

what.

yeonjun blinked once, waiting for the other to add something, like ‘just kidding’, ‘don’t be so serious about it’ or anything, really. but it never came and the air inside the training room was feeling denser and denser as his face became warmer and warmer.

“what! jung wooyoung, why would i-- there’s no reason to tell him that”, he forced a laugh. the two guards shared a glare. “like, _what_?!”, he repeated. “why would i--”

“yeonjun-ah, you’re a dumbass.”

the prince frowned. not that he had been offended by the lack of formality, he had told them that when there was no one around they could drop it. however, yeosang rarely did it, even when he was alone with him. so, hearing him call the prince so casually meant he was extremely serious about his remark. “i’m _not_ a dumbass.”

“you claim to know by far when one like the other and even pushed us two to start dating, but when it comes to your feelings, you turn blind?”, the guard continued. “the same way you kept pestering me to confess to wooyoung, you should tell this man all you told us. tell him you like him.”

the royal man opened his mouth, ready to refute him. but it was yeosang, and somehow, he could never refute him. tease? yeah, that was easy. refute him? _when he had a solid point_? impossible. “i’m the crown prince”, he said instead. he always said that when he had nothing else to use as an argument.

“and?”, the younger guard asked as he laughed. “sejajeoha, _please_ , you have a crush who might like you back. there’s nothing wrong with you telling him that, it’s not going to embarrass your bloodline nor torment your ancestors. just go for it.”

yeonjun bit the insides of his cheeks. “i’ll think about it.”

“okay”, the head guard said after a while. “but think and then do something.”

the prince rolled his eyes, but then, he nodded as well.

* * *

yeonjun had told himself he’d keep his secret to the grave. not that it was embarrassing or it would dishonour his family, he was certain no one would care that he felt in love with a commoner, and a _male_ commoner at that. well, maybe someone would be against it, but it’d not be anyone whose opinion mattered anyway. even so, no matter what the guards and beomgyu said and, hell, even when these young kids that his father had hired to be his adviser and tutor had told him to do it, he’d not make any move on choi soobin. he’d keep it to himself until the feelings died.

but it never did.

the two of them still often meet outside the castle with cutest and chatted a bit. sometimes soobin and cutest ran around as yeonjun watched, refusing to get up and do something like that, which would always make the younger - it was something new the prince had learned, that soobin was a year younger than himself - call him lazy. somehow, he couldn’t _not_ go meet him and he would always be excitedly waiting for the hours to pass so he could finally leave to the forest.

and the feeling was still there. it was love, he was certain. he had never felt it before, but if it wasn’t named love, then what was it? 

they had been resting on the grass, the taller’s breath was slightly offbeat as he had been running not long ago. yeonjun, though, was calm, as he had been sitting for hours straight and just dropped his back to stare at the sky. although most of it was hidden behind the branches and leaves from the trees around them, it was clear and shiny and a nice view.

they could hear the wind, the birds, and cutest still chasing her own tail somewhere near, but none of them spoke a word. the two simply stayed like that, looking up and enjoying the atmosphere. and, at least for the prince, the other’s presence.

at the thought, he turned to stare at soobin. he had his eyes closed and looked peaceful, allowing himself to relax. his profile was really adorable, especially the curves that formed his nose. yeonjun really thought he was handsome like this, but also, he was always so damn attractive.

as if he could tell he was being watched, his eyes opened as soobin’s face turned to stare at the royal man. now that they were facing each other he could see the younger’s smile and dimples better and involuntarily his heart skipped a beat.

“hyungnim, what are you looking at?”, he asked in a very low voice, but yeonjun still heard him. he smiled at that, he had told soobin to drop formality a while ago but just recently he felt comfortable doing such thing. he didn’t want to disrespect him in any way, which for him was silly as he had suggested it himself.

“nothing much. just appreciating the view.”

the other looked confused. “you’re looking at me.”

“precisely.”

that single word was enough to make him blush, turning back to stare at the sky in hopes that, somehow, it’d ease it. that reaction made the prince laugh.

“you’re so cute.”

“ _hyungnim_.”

“what? it’s true. you’re very adorable. and handsome too. you could probably outshine the sun if so you desired.”

“you flatter me…”, he said quietly, ears redder than a tomato. “you can’t say that. you’re the prince and i’m just a commoner. if there’s anyone here that close to the sun’s perfection, it surely is you.”

“well, in my eyes nothing could beat your perfection. not even the sun itself.”

he wasn’t sure how he could say it so easily, especially since he had sworn himself to keep all his feelings to himself only. but the way soobin grew shy, hiding his face under his hands, yet smiled at the compliments was a sign for him to never stop. once he started, he couldn’t and refused to not let him know.

yeonjun rolled himself slightly towards the other, a hand resting over the younger’s but not making any pressure to move it. “why are you hiding your handsome face? let me appreciate it.”

“hyungnim”, soobin whined under his hands.

“soobin, please. i want to see you.”

it took him a while, but eventually, he lowered his hands. it wasn’t completely, his lips still hidden, but his round dark eyes were staring up at the prince. “so pretty”, he said in a low tone, which earned him another embarrassed whine. “come on, don’t be like that. you are very pretty and everyone should appreciate you.”

“no”, he said quietly, and by the tone, he’d been pouting. 

that made yeonjun pout too, moving his face closer to him. “for me?”

soobin gulped down, face still red, but eventually he lowered his hands. “there. are you happy now?”

“very”, the older smiled. “oh, soobin, if you knew the effect you have on me”, he started as he brushed the other’s hair, so his bangs didn’t poke his eyes.

he was speechless with confusion, not sure what those words meant. and there was so much yeonjun wanted to say, words he made his noble friend listen countless times, as well as everyone else that worked around him in the castle. but with soobin right in front of him, waiting for those exact words… he couldn’t say it as easily. all the confidence he had moments before had shattered, and despite not being completely gone, he was _worried_. scared. he was so happy right now, but it could go and hurt him within seconds. he had been told to never let his guard down, to never trust strangers and distrust those he knew even more. but he had done the opposite of it when it came to the younger and now his defences were all down. he was vulnerable and any wrong action could scar him forever.

the thought of him misreading the other’s signs was scary and it froze him.

however, he didn’t need to do much. the younger had broken that line of thought by touching his cold palm on his cheek, his torso moving upwards, and soon, there was a soft touch on yeonjun’s lips. it was so light, as light as a feather, but it was enough to make all of the prince’s body shiver as if he had been electrocuted. it was his turn to feel his face get warmer but he paid no mind into that, closing his eyes and enjoying it while it lasted.

“what effect do i have on you, yeonjun-hyungnim?”, he asked after moving back to his original pose, back on the grass, but his hand still resting on the other’s face. he had a sweet smile on display, but he was still blushing. he seemed slightly embarrassed, but was more joyful than yeonjun has ever seen.

it made him grin, landing another kiss on his lips. “i was wrong. i guess you know quite well how you make me feel”, he simply said, proceeding to kiss him countless more times.

**Author's Note:**

> that's kind of an odd request but feel free to _not_ comment on thisJDHSFAJFHASDJKFHASJ i mean, not stopping you. but i'm not gonna respond  
>   
> 🎨


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